Vehicle lamp mounting



Oct. 18, 1966 R. T. PAWLOWSKI 3,280,323

VEHICLE LAMP MOUNTING Filed 001:. 20, 1964 W RICHARD T. PAWLOWSKI lNVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent poration of Delaware Filed Oct. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 405,179 4 Claims. (Cl. 240-90) This invention relate to vehicle lamps :and more particularly to a mounting construction facilitating beam adjustment of the lamp.

In many vehicles, e.g. tractors, lamps are mounted for use as headlamps or floodlamps. It is necessary to provide for adjustment of the direction of the beams from such lamps.

According to the present invention, each lamp is mounted in a round hole by means of 'a rubber mounting ring or grommet to support the lamp and cushion it against vibration. Adjustment of the position of the beam is provided for by rotation of the lamp within the ring and rotation of the ring within the hole, as will be explained.

Among the objects of the present invention are to provide an improved lamp mounting that will isolate the lamp from vibrations of the vehicle and at the same time permit adjustment of the position of the beam, that may be adjusted from the front side of the lamp without the use of tools, and that is simple and dependable; and generally to improve lamp mountings of the type described.

Other objects and the nature and scope of the invention will be more apparent from the detailed description to follow.

My invention is clearly defined in the appended claims. In the claims, as well as in the description, parts may at times be identified by specific names for clarity and convenience but such nomenclature is to be understood as having the broadest meaning consistent with the context and with the concept of my invention as distinguished from the pertinent prior art. The best form in which I have contemplated applying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of thi specification in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a tractor grille having a pair of headlamps mounted according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-section taken along the lines 22 showing the mounting of the lamp, the lamp being shown in side elevation.

Referring to the drawings, the lamp of the present invention i of the sealed-beam type in which the lens 11 and reflector 12 are hermetically sealed, usually being made of glass and containing the incandescent lamp filament. The lamp 10 has an annular peripheral flange 14.

The lamp is received within a circular opening 15 in the grille 16 of the tractor, the opening being somewhat larger in diameter than the lamp. The opening 15 is formed in a generally planar portion of the grille and preferably the periphery of the opening is provided with a generally T-shaped flange by casting or otherwise forming the metal wall portion of the grille.

A mounting ring 19 is formed of rubber, including rubber-like material, and has a channel-shaped inner peripheral portion 20 adapted to encompass the peripheral flange 14 of the lamp and a channel-shaped outer peripheral portion 21 adapted to encompass the T-shaped flange 17 of the circular opening. The inner and outer peripheral portions 20 and 21 are connected by a continuous web portion 22. The peripheral portions 20 and 21 are sutficiently elastic to be engaged with the lamp and with the margin of the opening respectively 3,280,323 Patented Oct. 18, 1966 and firm enough to hold the lamp 10 securely Within the opening 15 in the grille.

The plane of the inner peripheral portion 20 of the mounting ring 19 is at a slight angle; e.g., about 10, with the plane of the outer peripheral portion of the ring. At the same time, the general axis of the light beam is at a slight angle to the axis of the peripheral flange 14, preferably about the same angle. Accordingly, by rotating the mounting ring 19 within the opening 15 and by rotating the lamp 10 within the mounting ring, a limited universal adjustment of the lamp is attained. The beam may be raised or lowered and inclined to either the left or the right as required without the use of tools for making the adjustment. This provides a ready means of adjustment of either tractor headlamps or implement flood lamps mounted on the rear of a tractor or other vehicle.

Tractor lamps and the like which are not primarily designed for highway use are provided with lenses which are more similar to floodlight lenses and limited tilting of the beam by rotation of the lamp is not objectionable, particularly inasmuch as the beam is not a well-defined beam as used in highway vehicles, but a more dispersed beam. Accordingly, for use as a floodlight, for off-highway operation, limited rotation of the lamp is not objectionable.

The present invention provides a simple and economical lamp mounting which is readily adjustable without tools, which cushions the lamp against vibrations of the vehicle, and which effectively seals the space between the lamp and the lamp opening.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle having a generally planar wall portion provided with a circular opening for receiving a lamp, a rubber mounting ring engaged within the opening for rotation in the general plane of the wall portion and having a circumferential groove about its inner circumference, and a sealed beam lamp unit having an annular peripheral flange received within the circumferential groove, the circumferential groove lying in a plane at a small acute angle to the plane of the wall portion and the principal axis of the lamp unit being at a small acute angle to the axis of the annular flange, the mounting ring being rotatable within the wall portion and the lamp unit being rotatable within the mounting ring for limited universal adjustment of the beam.

2. In a vehicle having a generally planar wall portion provided with a circular opening for receiving a lamp, a rubber mounting ring fitted within the opening and having a pair of spaced, radially outwardly extending flanges positioned against the opposite faces of the wall portion about the opening and a circumferential groove about its inner circumference, and a sealed beam lamp unit having an annular peripheral flange received within the circumferential groove, the circumferential groove lying in a plane at a small acute angle to the plane of the wall portion and the principal axis of the lamp unit being at a small acute angle to the axis of the annular flange, the mounting ring being rotatable within the wall portion and the lamp unit being rotatable within the mounting ring for limited universal adjustment of the beam.

3. In a vehicle having a generally planar Wall portion provided with a circular opening for receiving a lamp, a rubber mounting ring fitted within the opening and having a pair of spaced, radially outwardly extending flanges positioned against the opposite faces of the wall portion about the opening and a circumferential groove about its inner circumference, and a sealed beam lamp unit having an annular peripheral flange received within the circumferential groove, the circumferential groove lying in a plane at a small acute angle to the plane of the Wall portion and the principal axis of the lamp unit being at substantially the same acute angle to the axis of the annular flange, the mounting ring being rotatable Within the wall portion and the lamp unit being rotatable within the mounting ring for limited universal adjustment of the beam.

4. In a vehicle having a generally planar Wall portion provided with a circular opening for receiving a lamp, a rubber mounting ring fitted within the opening and having a pair of spaced, radially outwardly extending flanges positioned against the opposite faces of the wall portion about the opening and a sealed beam lamp unit fitting within the rubber mounting ring, the mounting ring and lamp unit having an inte-rfitting circumferential flange and groove formations, the formation on the mounting 15 ring lying in a plane at a small acute angle to the plane of the Wall portion and the principal axis of the lamp unit being at a small acute angle to the axis of the formation thereon, the mounting ring being rotatable within the Wall portion and the lamp unit being rotatable within the mounting ring for limited universal adjustment of the beam.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,286,448 6/1942 Wahlberg 240-41.6 X 3,218,450 11/1965 Husby 240-25 3,225,189 12/1965 Pendell 2407.1 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 486,171 5/1938 Great Britain.

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

C. R. RHODES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A VEHICLE HAVING A GENERALLY PLANAR WALL PORTION PROVIDED WITH A CIRCULAR OPENING FOR RECEIVING A LAMP, A RUBBER MOUNTING RING ENGAGED WITHIN THE OPENING FOR ROTATION IN THE GENERAL PLANE OF THE WALL PORTION AND HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVE ABOUT ITS INNER CIRCUMFERENCE, AND A SEALED BEAM LAMP UNIT HAVING AN ANNULAR PERIPHERAL FLANGE RECEIVED WITHIN THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVE, THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVE LYING IN A PLANE AT A SMALL ACUTE ANGLE TO THE PLANE OF THE WALL PORTION AND THE PRINCIPAL AXIS OF THE LAMP UNIT BEING AT A SMALL ACUTE ANGLE TO THE AXIS OF THE ANNULAR FLANGE, THE MOUNTING RING BEING ROTATABLE WITHIN THE WALL PORTION AND THE LAMP UNIT BEING ROTATABLE WITHIN THE MOUNTING RING FOR LIMITED UNIVERSAL ADJUSTMENT OF THE BEAM. 